1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a boat trailer having a frame that includes a first front sidewall connected to one side of the frame and a second front sidewall connected to the other side of the frame. At least one of the front sidewalls includes at least one compartment that may be used to store boating equipment, tools, fishing gear, or other items as would be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure. The front sidewall may be comprised of fiberglass and may include at least one toe socket formed into the front sidewall. The toe socket may aid in the entrance into a boat while the boat is located on the boat trailer. The boat trailer may include a first rear sidewall connected to the frame behind the first front sidewall and a second rear sidewall connected to the frame behind second front sidewall. The first front sidewall and the second front sidewall may be substantially contoured to the hull of a boat. A first adapter sidewall may be attachable to the first front sidewall to substantially contour the first front sidewall to the hull of a second boat. Likewise, a second adapter sidewall may be attachable to the second front sidewall to substantially contour the second front sidewall to the hull of the second boat. The sidewalls and adapter sidewalls may be comprised of fiberglass.
The boat trailer may include a first nose cone connected to the leading edge of the first front sidewall and a second nose cone connected to the leading edge of the second front sidewall. Each of the nose cones may be comprised of fiberglass and may include a recessed step to aid in the entrance of a boat while on the boat trailer. The boat trailer includes a tongue and hitch to connect to a motorized vehicle. The boat trailer may include additional means to selectively connect the boat trailer to the motorized vehicle to provide additional rigidity while loading or unloading a boat. The boat trailer may also include improved means for connecting bunk boards to the frame.
2. Description of the Related Art
Boating has become a popular activity and as such there is an increasing number of different sizes and shapes of boats. As a result, there are a large number of boat trailers commercially available for the transportation of boats. The majority of past boat trailers include a frame connected to at least one axle with a plurality of cross members. A plurality of bunk boards are connected across the frame cross members. The bunk boards are typically fastened to the trailer frame at predetermined locations to support the hull of a boat that will be transported on the trailer. In order to adapt to the varying sizes and shapes of the available boats, the bunk boards are often able to be repositioned along the cross members trailer frame. The repeated moving of the bunk boards can loosen the fasteners used to connect bunk boards to the frame. One example of typical fasteners used to connect bunk boards to the frame are u-bolts with nuts and lock washers. Typical u-bolt connectors, however, may become loose over time due to repeated use of the trailer. Further, the repositioning of the u-bolts may cause them to become loose allowing the connector and the bunk boards to unexpectedly move along the frame. It would thus be desirable to provide a connector that allows for the repositioning of bunk boards and that also remains fastened over time preventing the unwanted movement of bunk boards along the frame.
Boating activities often include a large amount of equipment such as fishing gear, water skiing equipment, or even apparatus used to help secure the boat to the trailer. Typical trailers are comprised of a frame assembly and do not provide any place to store any of this type of equipment. Instead, equipment must often be in the towing vehicle or even in the boat itself making it inconvenient, if not difficult, to access the equipment while the boat is located on the trailer. It would thus be beneficial to provide a boat trailer that includes a compartment that may be used to store equipment, gear, and/or tools. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that equipment, gear, and/or tools is for illustrative purposes only and that it may be beneficial to store a various number of items in a compartment of a boat trailer.
Some of the equipment used in boating activities may actually need to be stored inside of at due to the size of the equipment. If it is necessary to obtain this equipment, a person may need to climb on the trailer and into the boat. The majority of boat trailers are not equipped to aid in the entrance of a boat positioned on the trailer. It would thus be beneficial for a trailer that aids in the entrance of a boat while it is positioned on the trailer.
As discussed above, there are an increasing number of boats having different shapes and different sizes. As such, boat trailers often have a shape that generally corresponds to the hull of a boat and bunk boards are placed to correspond to the shape of the boat to be transported on the trailer. It may aid in the transportation of the boat if the general shape of the trailer substantially corresponds to the contour of the boat hull as it may provide better support to the boat as well as affect the aerodynamics of the trailer and boat while being towed. It may also be beneficial if the general shape of the trailer could also be substantially contoured to a hull of a second boat.
The popularity of boating has increased the cost as well as sophistication of boats. In to protect against theft, a boat may be protected by an alarm that is powered by a battery on the boat. The electronics on a boat may also be powered by the battery. While the boat may have an alarm it may be beneficial to also provide an alarm on the boat trailer. Thus, it may be beneficial to provide a battery platform to support a battery that may be used to power various electronics on the boat trailer such as an alarm. It may also be beneficial to house the battery within a sidewall attached to the frame and provide means to lower the battery platform so that the battery may be accessible. The battery may be a sealed battery that is waterproof. Alternatively, the battery may be housed inside a sealed plastic compartment.
In light of the foregoing, it would be desirable to provide a boat trailer that includes at least one storage compartment. It would further be desirable to provide a boat trailer that includes a fastener that may be used to connect bunk boards to the frame, wherein the fastener may be adjustable, but will not become loose due to forces exerted on the trailer as it is used over time. It would also be to provide a boat trailer that provides a toe socket and/or a recessed step to aid in the entrance into a boat positioned on the boat trailer.
The present invention is directed to overcoming, or at least reducing the effects of, one or more of the issues set forth above.